TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 DOWNING THE DUCKS CHAPTER 2 BIRTH OF A PROGRAM 4 10 CHAPTER 3 THREE YARDS AND A CLOUD OF DUST 18 CHAPTER 4 CHANGES 26 CHAPTER 5 A NEW CHAMPIONSHIP ERA 34 TIMELINE QUICK STATS QUOTES AND ANECDOTES GLOSSARY MORE INFORMATION ONLINE RESOURCES INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR 42 44 45 46 47 47 48 48
CHAPTER 1 DOWNING THE DUCKS The Ohio State Buckeyes came into the 2014 season with national championship dreams They were ranked fifth in the country and were loaded with talent But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare The Buckeyes lost their second game of the year at home to unranked Virginia Tech The upset stunned the 107,000 fans at Ohio Stadium and millions more around the country Third year head coach Urban Meyer was angry too But he also reminded his team there was plenty left to accomplish To achieve their dreams they had to settle for nothing less than an 11-1 record The Buckeyes responded They reeled off 10 wins in a row to win the Big Ten East division But they lost starting quarterback J. T. Barrett to a broken ankle in the regular season finale against Michigan Untested sophomore Cardale Jones had to take over Urban Meyer wanted to make sure his players didn't experience another letdown after losing to Virginia Tech in 2014
